ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — When people talk about the strength of the Yankees bullpen, it’s usually in reference to the three pitchers at the back end.
But manager Joe Girardi can’t simply rely on Mariano Rivera, David Robertson and Rafael Soriano.
“I can’t use Mo, Robertson and Soriano every day,” Girardi said after the Yankees lost their third straight game to begin 2012, a 3-0 defeat to the Rays in which the bullpen tossed 3 1/3 innings and gave up one run. “And when we’re losing, I’ve got to try to get some innings out of other guys down there.”
That’s one of the reasons Girardi left Boone Logan in during the sixth inning to face right-handed hitting Jeff Keppinger. And for the second day in a row, Girardi saw one of his southpaws give up a big hit against a right-handed hitter.
Keppinger homered to left off Logan to give Tampa Bay a three-run cushion.
“Boone had just thrown the ball well for three hitters and he made a mistake with his fastball,” Girardi said. “He finished up getting [Jose] Molina with it.”
“I couldn’t get extended with my four-seamer and it ran back over the plate,” said Logan, who was not surprised to have faced Keppinger. “I figured Joe would leave me in there to face some righties. We were down a couple of runs and you don’t want to mix and match that early.”
You also don’t want to have to dip into your bullpen at that point in the game.
But after having to go there in the sixth in Saturday’s loss because of Hiroki Kuroda’s woes, Girardi was forced to do so in the fifth yesterday, when Phil Hughes was removed due to a high pitch count.
And despite leaving the fastball to Keppinger over the plate, Logan was pleased with his outing — his first of the season after battling a sore back in spring training.
“It’s doing a lot better,” Logan said. “I don’t have any pain anymore. I’m not concerned with it and I felt like it loosened up.”
Logan’s health is one of the few positive signs of this young season for the winless Yankees.
“It is a relief I can go out there and do my job without worrying about [my back],” Logan said. “My arm felt really good.”